Sweetener compositions

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a sweetener composition comprising a combination of cellulose and a sweetener carbohydrate formed from a combination of at least two carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sucrose, glucose and fructose, and a method for the preparation thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority from Israeli PatentApplication Serial No. 208594, filed on Oct. 10, 2010, the contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to sweetener compositions. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to carbohydrate sweetenercompositions incorporating cellulose therein, and to methods for thepreparation thereof.

More particularly, according to the present invention, there is nowprovided a sweetener composition comprising a combination of celluloseand a sweetener carbohydrate formed from a combination of at least twocarbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sucrose, glucose andfructose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, it has now been surprisinglydiscovered that cellulose as such, available abundantly as cottonlinters, is molecularly dispersible in molten carbohydrates. Usingglucose, fructose and sucrose, it is possible to form melts that can beused as cellulose dispersants and thereby to form novel solidcompositions that are obtained on cooling and which are sweeter than thesame sweeteners with no cellulose dispersed therein.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, said compositions areformed from a combination of glucose, fructose and cellulose.

In especially preferred embodiment of the present invention, saidcompositions are dispersible in water and preferably, are substantiallywater-insoluble.

Since it is intended that the sweetener compositions be incorporated infood products, preferably said compositions are food compatible:carbohydrates and cellulose used in their manufacture are of food gradequality.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a methodfor producing a sweetener composition comprising a combination ofcellulose and a sweetener carbohydrate formed from a combination of atleast two carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sucrose,glucose and fructose, comprising forming a eutectic melt mixture of acombination of at least two carbohydrates selected from the groupconsisting of sucrose, glucose and fructose, introducing cellulose intosaid carbohydrate melt mixture, and cooling the same.

As is known, cellulose consists of linear poly-glucose molecules thatassemble linearly to form the fibers that characterize it. Hydrogenbonds, in which the hydrogen of a hydroxyl group interacts weakly withthe oxygen of another hydroxyl group assures the plurality ofattachments that regulate the overall strength of cellulosic fibers. Itis hypothesized that glucose, as well as sucrose and fructose, if onehad them in a liquid state allowing for intimate contact with cellulosefibers, provide for a large volume for hydrogen bonds and thereby forseparation of cellulosic fibers into slimmer fibrils and down to thepoly-glucose molecules; a process of dispersion will take placeresulting effectively in dissolution of the cellulose in the liquidcarbohydrates.

Thus, liquid carbohydrates are obtained by melting, e.g., sucrose has amelting point of 185° C., however, the melting is accompanied withdecomposition, usually referred to as caramelization. Glucose has amelting point of 146° C., and fructose has a melting point of 104° C.,and therefore these provide for better relative stability.

In 1967, F. H. C. Kelly and D. W. Brown published an article entitled“PHASE EQUILIBRIA IN THE SYSTEM SUCROSE-GLUCOSE-FRUCTOSE” (J. appl.Chem., 1967, Vol. 17, May) in which the melting points of mixtures ofsucrose, glucose and fructose were determined to cover the full range ofconcentrations in the two and three component systems.

In said article, the relevant teachings of which are incorporated hereinby reference, the following eutectics were identified:

-   -   (1) Sucrose-glucose at 0.3 mass fraction sucrose and 137° C.;    -   (2) Sucrose-fructose at 0.3 mass fraction sucrose and 97° C.;    -   (3) Glucose-fructose at 0.27 mass fraction glucose and 93.2° C.;        and    -   (4) Sucrose (0.175 ±, 0.02) m.f., glucose (0225±0.025) m.f. and        fructose (0.600±0.005) f.f., with a temperature of 93° C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the invention will now be described in connection with certainpreferred embodiments in the following examples so that aspects thereofmay be more fully understood and appreciated, it is not intended tolimit the invention to these particular embodiments. On the contrary, itis intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents asmay be included within the scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims. Thus, the following examples which include effectiveembodiments will serve to illustrate the practice of this invention, itbeing understood that the particulars shown are by way of example andfor purposes of instructive discussion of effective embodiments of thepresent invention only and are presented in the cause of providing whatis believed to be the most useful and readily understood description offormulation procedures as well as of the principles and conceptualaspects of the invention.

Example 1

27 grs of glucose powder and 73 grs of fructose powder were intimatelymixed in a stainless cylindrical cup of 300 ml volumetric capacityprovided with a brush-like agitator sweeping the cylinder walls. The cupwas placed in a thermostatically regulated oil bath set to 94° C. Liquidmelt droplets formed on the inner wall of the cylinder slowly but at anincreasing rate, the whole of the glucose/fructose mixture collecting asmoderately viscous melt in the bottom part of the cylinder in 35minutes.

While continuing the agitation 5 grs of cellulose in the form of finelycut cotton linters were added in small portions over 12 minutes and theagitation continued for 10 minutes more. The cellulose dissolvedcompletely as evidenced by complete clarity of the melt.

The melt solidified and was ground to form sweeteners particles.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is notlimited to the details of the foregoing illustrative examples and thatthe present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the essential attributes thereof, and it is thereforedesired that the present embodiments and examples be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being made tothe appended claims, rather than to the foregoing description, and allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

1-5. (canceled)
 6. A method for producing a sweetener compositioncomprising forming a eutectic melt mixture of a combination of at leasttwo carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sucrose, glucoseand fructose, introducing cellulose into said eutectic melt mixture toform a cellulose-containing carbohydrate melt mixture, and cooling saidcellulose-containing carbohydrate melt mixture thereby producing saidsweetener composition.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein saidforming comprises melting said combination of at least two carbohydratesat a melting temperature less than a melting temperature of any one ofsaid isolated carbohydrates.
 8. The method according to claim 6, whereina ratio of cellulose to carbohydrate melt mixture is about 5:100 wt/wt.9. The method according to claim 6, wherein said cellulose-containingcarbohydrate melt mixture is clear.
 10. The method according to claim 6,wherein said cellulose-containing carbohydrate melt mixture issubstantially free of caramelization.
 11. The method according to claim6, wherein said cellulose is substantially dissolved in saidcellulose-containing carbohydrate melt mixture.
 12. The method accordingto claim 6, wherein said cellulose is cotton linters.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 6, Wherein said at least two sweetener carbohydratesare glucose and fructose.
 14. The method according to claim 13, whereina ratio of glucose to fructose is about 27:73 wt/wt.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 14, wherein said forming comprises melting saidcombination of carbohydrates at a melting temperature of about 93° C.16. The method according to claim 6, wherein said at least two sweetenercarbohydrates are sucrose and glucose.
 17. The method according to claim16, wherein a ratio of sucrose to glucose is about 3:7 wt/wt.
 18. Themethod according to claim 17, wherein said forming comprises meltingsaid combination of carbohydrates at a melting temperature of about 137°C.
 19. The method according to claim 6, wherein said at least twosweetener carbohydrates are sucrose and fructose.
 20. The methodaccording to claim 19, wherein a ratio of sucrose to fructose is about3:7 wt/wt.
 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein said formingcomprises melting said combination of carbohydrates at a meltingtemperature of about 97° C.
 22. The method according to claim 6, whereinsaid at least two sweetener carbohydrates are sucrose, glucose, andfructose.
 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein a ratio ofsucrose:glucose:fructose is (0.175±0.02) sucrose to (0.225±0.025)glucose to (0.600±0.005) fructose wt/wt/wt.
 24. The method according toclaim 23, wherein said forming comprises melting said combination ofcarbohydrates at a melting temperature of about 93° C.
 25. The methodaccording to claim 6, further comprising agitating the eutectic meltmixture or the cellulose-containing carbohydrate melt mixture.
 26. Themethod according to claim 6, further comprising grinding said sweetenercomposition to form sweetener particles.